The musings of a Canadian studying the American Civil War, and other historical topics.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Neil Armstrong

Hi again! Looks like I neglected my blog - three weeks have passed since my last post. I've been busy working on my dissertation. Yes, seriously!

I mark the passing of a true, genuine American hero, Neil Armstrong. The first man to walk on the Moon died last week at the age of 82. This quiet, retiring man may have shunned his fame but no history book since has failed to mention his exploit. From earliest times, humans looked up at the Moon with amazement. Yet, in the Twentieth Century, the technology became available to place people on its surface. Armstrong was the first, Buzz Aldrin the second, and ten more followed in their steps, so to speak. It was a childhood dream of mine to meet him, and now I'll never get my chance. Oh well. One bit of trivia: he visited the town of Langholm in Scotland in 1972, where a law requiring the summary execution of an Armstrong upon entry still existed on the books.